Raúl Magdaleno receives national award for community leadership

Raúl Magdaleno, director of diversity and community engagement in SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, has been named the MillerCoors 2010 Líder of the Year.

Chosen for his work as a volunteer with Parents Step Ahead/Padres un Paso Adelante, Magdaleno will receive a $25,000 grant for a community leadership project with Parents Step Ahead and MillerCoors. He was among 12 Hispanic leaders recognized for contributions to their communities; he was chosen as Líder of the Year through an online public voting campaign that ran Sept. 15-Oct. 29, 2010.

Parents Step Ahead seeks to increase parents’ awareness and involvement in their children’s education, increase academic achievement and graduation rates among minority students, and reach more students and families by replicating the Dallas model in other cities through partnerships with national organizations, companies and publications. Magdaleno’s work with the group – founded in 2006 by Lupita Colmenero, associate publisher of El Hispano News in Dallas – has allowed him to reach out to local families and encourage parents to participate in their children’s education.

Magdaleno said he was “honored and grateful” for the award. “I hope that by receiving this recognition, I may inspire future generations to reach for their aspirations and continue to work toward the advancement of the Hispanic community.”

“Raúl has demonstrated remarkable leadership through motivating others to never give up and promoting the value of an education,” said Colmenero. “We invite everyone to become ambassadors for our cause and help us enable and empower parents to be effective leaders and role models in their children’s educational life.”

The MillerCoors Líderes program, established in 2006, offers up-and-coming Latino professionals leadership tools, counsel and the opportunity to network through its website, Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Raúl’s dedication to the Hispanic community serves as an example and an inspiration to those around him,” said Joedis Avila, multicultural relations manager, MillerCoors. “We are thrilled that he was chosen by the public as the MillerCoors 2010 Líder of the Year, and we are proud to highlight his achievements so he may continue to be a role model for future generations.”